Road trip music selection is always a blast. I'll tend to go for stuff which has a well defined and driving rhythm of some kind. Weezer, Belle And Sebastian, Goldenhorse, Jurassic 5, that kinda feel good stuff always has a place. Then someone will bring along something else that is super exciting. My flatmate Tim is good for that. The Desapreciados impressed the dwellers of my car exceedingly during that road trip. Calexico is brill, and Giant Sand on the Desert road just HAD to be done.

Yeah Road Trip music is normally defined by me, being the driver all the time, and I've not really had any complaints (except for the occasional sissy comments from metallers :)

One road trip (to see Sleater-Kinney in Auckland,) we had listened to all of our CDs bar one... Last Rights by Skinny Puppy. Turns out we were very pleased indeed that fate had decreed that we trip while listening to the scariest album ever. Always throw in a wild card - you never know when it will blow your mind.

Ramble ramble ramble.

I'm a big fan of compilations (either mine or commercial) on road trips, as I find that even an album I enjoy at home sometimes doesn't work travelling. In terms of different music for different times, I find that dance music is better during the day, keeps me alert, whereas I generally prefer to rock through the night. This topic is especially close to my heart, having clocked up over 3300km in my car in the last 10 days. I also find that some music is better for driving in traffic, and some music is better for long clear stretches of road.

Current driving favourites include:
Outside the dubplates -- Salmonella Dub (recently memorable throught the buller gorge, and coes ford to lyttelton)
Run Lola Run
Mezzanine -- Massive Attack
Gathering '01(?)
Sacrilege (usually Disc 2) -- Can
***
Body Blow -- Headless Chickens
Vortura -- Bailterspace
Some kiwi rock compilation with an orange holden on the front
TGE -- Shihad
"Summer Driving" -- The limegreen driving mix (f. Sublime, Dave Dobbyn, H&C, Page&Plant et al.)
Pet -- Fur Patrol
A Life Less Ordinary -- Soundtrack
Led Zepp remastered (usu. Disc 1)
Pink Floyd
Topless Women Talk about their Lives

Have heaps of other favs, but can't remember at the mo...

oh how could i have forgotten.

led zep - remasters
sublime - 40oz to freedom

Sublime, Bob Marley, Samonelle Dub and Rhombus

Lostprophets - Ode to Summer
Goldenhorse - Wake up Brother
Radiohead - Just
NOFX - Fat Cats
Incubus - A Certain Shade of Green
Stylus - What we do
System of a Down - Toxicity
RATM - Maria
Sleater Kinney - One Beat
Blindside - Pitiful

The ultimate road trip song:

Tom Waits - Hand On, St. Christopher (from the Franks Wild Years album)

"St. Chrisopher" is the patron saint of travellers, BTW.

Earlier this year I went to Taupo with a friend. Once we'd driven out of bFM's range we switched to the Led Zepplin tape that was stuck in his tape deck. While we were stopped at Putaruru, he managed to get the tape out and put in the only other tape in the car, "What Can We Say," the 1991 debut from MC OJ and the Rythmn Slave. It lasted all the way there, around Taupo, and most of the way back before we got sick of it.

the oldies but the goodies so everyone can sing along ( with trashed people this is even better) cause they no the right words! : )

Straightjacket Fit's 'Blow' is really really really good for driving ... to Queenstown particularly, especially the gorges between Alexandra, Cromwell and Arrowtown/Queenstown.

Supergrass's 'In it for the money' is fantastic city driving music.

zz top- la grange remastered
atlantic comp
philles comp
hi comp
stax comp
the entire now! set

also...

marcus garvey & garveys ghost
some good breakbeat